This unique conference brings together diverse fields under the umbrella of gastrointestinal (GI) health and disease that bridge basic science discovery with clinical impact. The 5 day conference will be the 16th in a series of biennial meetings that, over the last 30 years, has provided an intense and intimate venue for presentation, discussion, and vibrant exchange of ideas among scientists at the forefront of GI research. The topics for this meeting have been carefully chosen to represent research areas that are currently witnessing rapidly accelerated growth. Thus, this format is intentionally designed to facilitate translation of basic biology discoveries into new medically relevant approaches to human disease. The specific objectives of the conference are to deliver scientific programming that is on the cutting-edge of digestive health and disease research, to provide a forum for sharing of current discoveries in GI research, to foster development of junior investigators, trainees and under- represented individuals, to promote crosstalk between basic and clinical researchers that will move scientific investigations into novel areas, and to enhance the collegiality of the GI research community.